From Evernote:

Batman Inc. #8 Review

4 / 5

Here it is - the book everyone has been talking about. Hidden so well that DC still doesn't have the book cover on their site. Spoiled by news sites earlier this week and has stormed the Internet. If for some reason you have not heard what this is about and want to live spoiler-free, you should move on. Otherwise, here we go. 

The fight between Batman Inc and Leviathon has intensified to the point that it seems everyone is stuck. Damian breaks curfew (so to speak) and pulls Nightwing and Red Robin out of some tight spots before catching up to Wayne HQ. It's here that we get the perfect hoora! for Damian as he lets Dick know how much he likes and respects him. It's a touching scene that carries good weight, especially if you've read the old B&R run with Dick as Batman. What follows is the moment that we've all heard about, which I'll not discuss further here. 

Let's face it, it's a big deal. There's no telling how this is going to ripple throughout the rest of the DCU in coming months. Jason dying on Bruce's watch was tough enough for him as it was. Losing Damian is sure to break something we've never seen in Batman before. Who knows how Alfred will feel as the person who encouraged him to go out that night - against Bruce's instructions. Who knows how this is going to affect the relationship between Jason and Bruce. Will they come together or will this drive them further apart? There are a lot of really things to see in the next few months, but for now we have only this - Damian is dead. 

I wish there had been a little more time leading up to this moment - not in the sense of more adventures, but in more development between Bruce and Damian. This was a big deal, and I honestly just didn't see it coming. The last year and a half has been really good in B&R. I'm going to miss the growth we saw for the two of them. 

This is a big deal, and definitely a book worth picking up. The story is solid as always. I'm still not a fan of Chris Burnham, which is my only negative on the book. Pick it up. Enjoy it. Share your thoughts.

------------------------------------------------- ROB'S TAKE -------------------------------------------------------
This smacks of "Grant Morrison is leaving and he's taking his toys with him." It's pretty much accepted that the fans were just starting to fall in love with Damian's character, so it's no surprise that he is snatched away before we really get to see what he can do. He stood a more than decent chance of finally replacing Dick Grayson in the hearts and minds of the readers. And you can't help but see resurrection coming a mile away via his family's Lazarus Pit. The emotional bite of what happened will linger, only to be cheapened when they bring him back...and they WILL bring him back. We've been through this with Jason Todd and it took 20 years to make him interesting again. DC really screwed the pooch in this one.